Leading and Managing Your Child Is a Big Challenge in Itself.

The added responsibility of helping them create healthy hygiene could make things a bit overwhelming. Let’s face it, we see the world differently from our children. While an adult understands what is at stake in life, a five-year-old does not; and this applies to maintaining proper hygiene.

Whether it is not brushing well, not bathing properly, wearing smelly underwear, not cleaning the room, or not washing hands; all these have the same long-term effect. It can get very bad and even detrimental to your child’s health and overall physical well-being.

We have compiled a list of 7 ways to get your child to practice proper hygiene.

Be the Hero

Whatever change you want or whatever moral you want to instill in your child, you must model it first. It is simple, in fact, too easy to correct, but when you model the right behavior, you automatically set the tone for change.

Modeling the change you want to see puts you in the shoes of your child, and you somewhat understand their struggles. Hence, you can advise them properly on what to do and what to steer clear of. Your child then begins to see you as a trusted authority, not some dictator.

Be the first to wash your hands after shopping, be the first to do your own laundry, and be the first to clean your room. It might take time but soon, they will see things from the lens of your eyes and adjust.

Catch Them Young

When it comes to proper hygiene, it is advisable to start early. Start teaching your child early enough and let them watch you do it. Let them try and let them make mistakes. They will learn the right way in their error. As much as possible, also avoid being overprotective of them.

Policing Your Kids

Look out for your children and pay attention to them. If you are going to help them lead a healthy life, then you must pay attention to them. Maybe not in the nitty-gritty kind of way, but pay close attention to when they brush and make sure they do it and do it properly.

Pay attention to how they smell and make sure they are well-kept physically. Pay attention to the obviously little but important things.

Have Conversations with Your Children

Have a sit-down with them and explain things to them. Talk about the consequences of poor hygiene. Don’t just tell them the problem and don’t only spot what they are not doing right, educate them.

The idea behind education is to equip one with the knowledge that would take them from point A to point B. If it does not do that, then it is just “fault finding” alone. You most likely will not win them over that way, and remember that the goal is to win them over.

Introduce a System of Reward

Children do sure love motivation. You can use this to drive your goal faster. Create a system of “Act and Reward”. You stay hygienic for a week, you get a reward. If you clean your room faster, you get a reward. You do the laundry, you get a reward.

By attaching a reward to acts, especially if the reward is something they love, you will get results quickly. The only problem with this is that it is short spam, they may stay hygienic for a while because of the reward, so don’t use this alone. Also, note that this may not work on adolescents.

Probably Get Rid of It

Get rid of the food, the route, the diet, and anything else that may be slowing down the process or causing the journey not to be progressive. It may seem harsh at first, but your child will adjust later on. In the end, it is for their own good. Keep the goal in mind and let it influence your decisions.

Friendly but Firm

This is a long journey, so you should make them your friends. Tell them what they must do and when they must do it. Put in place all that makes it possible for them to do just that. Being your child’s friend gives them the reassurance that you are on their team.